Two dogs gifted by Kim Jong Un to South Korea end up in zoo. Here's why

Two dogs - gifted by North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong Un to South Korea four years back - have now ended up in a zoo in Gwangju after a dispute over who should finance the caring of the canines, a report by the Associated Press said Monday.

Last Friday, Gomi and Songgang - the two white Pungsan hunting dogs, were moved to the zoo run by a local governmentafter a temporary stay at a veterinary hospital in Daeju, according to zoo officials.

The canines were gifted by Kim Jong Un to then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in in 2018 following their summit talks in North Korea's capital city of Pyongyang. During his tenure as President, Moon Jae-in raised Gomi and Songgang at the presidential residence.

However, he gave up the canines in November citing a lack of financial support from his successor President Yoon Suk Yeol. Moon's office accused the current South Korean government of refusing to cover the cost of the dogs' food and veterinary care.

Denying the accusation, President Yoon's office said it never prevented Moon Jae-in from keeping the dogs, and discussions regarding providing financial support were still ongoing, the Associated Press further reported.

On Monday, Gwangju's mayor Kang Gijung said the two canines were a symbol of peace "and South-North Korean reconciliation and cooperation."

"We will raise them well like we cultivate a seed for peace,” Gjung added, according to his office.

Gomi and Songgang have six offsprings, all of them born after they came to South Korea. Byeol, one of the offspring, has been raised at the Gwangju zoo since 2019 and the remaining five are in other zoos and a public facility in South Korea.

Officials from the Gwangju zoo have said that they will try to raise Byeol and her parents together, though they are currently kept separately as they don't recognise each other.

(With inputs from the Associated Press)